Article

INCREASING MUNITION OUTPUT

December 1917
Article
INCREASING MUNITION OUTPUT
December 1917

Not every man who is doing his bit for Dartmouth and for the nation is doing it in the military service. On the first day of May, 1917, Jim Easson, 1902, went to New Castle, Delaware, in charge of the Penn Seaboard Steel Corporation works of that place. The concern had been turning out shells for the United States government. When Easson got on the job the plant was turning out 2900 tons of shells per month. In October it turned out 8000 tons. When he took hold, the percentage of shells rejected was 26 per cent. In November he had cut the percentage down to 1.5 per cent. In May the loss on analysis was 500 tons. Since August not one shell has been lost on analysis. In a letter Easson says: "Down in my heart through this fifteen year fight I wanted Dartmouth to have a representative in the Big Steel game on the operating end. I believe I am on the job." Two years ago Easson broke his hip, and has gone through the mill day and night since he undertook the work there supporting himself on a crutch. But he has turned out 30,000 tons of shells for the United States government, and, as he again puts it, "If I get one German per ton that would be some bit for Dartmouth."